Zirda, the Dawnwaker

Legendary Creature — Elemental Fox · from $1.57

Companion — Each permanent card in your starting deck has an activated ability. (If this card is your chosen companion, you may put it into your hand from outside the game for {3} as a sorcery.) Abilities you activate that aren't mana abilities cost {2} less to activate. This effect can't reduce the mana in that cost to less than one mana. {1}, {T}: Target creature can't block this turn.

Build with this commander Start with a starter shell Card details, printings & prices

A typical Commander deck

A starting template, not a rule — counts to fill in around the commander.

Lands3736–38 for most decks; fewer with cheap curves
Ramp10mana rocks, dorks, land ramp — mostly 2–3 mana
Card draw10repeatable engines beat one-shot cantrips
Targeted removal6answers for creatures AND artifacts/enchantments
Board wipes3sweepers reset boards you've lost
Synergy & win conditions33the deck's actual plan

Staples in these colors

The 100 cards that fit this color identity in the most EDHREC decklists (EDHREC rank via Scryfall).

Budget

55 of 100 at $5 or less · 37 at $1 or less

#	Card	Type	MV	Price
1	Sol Ring	Artifact	1	$1.07
2	Command Tower	Land	0	$0.26
3	Arcane Signet	Artifact	2	$0.34
4	Exotic Orchard	Land	0	$0.19
5	Reliquary Tower	Land	0	$4.28
6	Swords to Plowshares	Instant	1	$0.98
7	Swiftfoot Boots	Artifact	2	$1.43
8	Lightning Greaves	Artifact	2	$3.86
9	Path of Ancestry	Land	0	$0.16
10	Path to Exile	Instant	1	$0.71
11	Fellwar Stone	Artifact	2	$0.47
12	Rogue's Passage	Land	0	$0.31
13	Evolving Wilds	Land	0	$0.09
14	Thought Vessel	Artifact	2	$2.23
15	Blasphemous Act	Sorcery	9	$0.72
16	Terramorphic Expanse	Land	0	$0.10
17	Chaos Warp	Instant	3	$0.32
18	Myriad Landscape	Land	0	$0.25
19	Mind Stone	Artifact	2	$0.21
20	Polluted Delta	Land	0	$19.85
21	Flooded Strand	Land	0	$12.78
22	Skullclamp	Artifact	1	$4.85
23	Solemn Simulacrum	Creature	4	$0.27
24	Misty Rainforest	Land	0	$35.98
25	Bloodstained Mire	Land	0	$14.54
26	Fabled Passage	Land	0	$0.65
27	Windswept Heath	Land	0	$11.19
28	Wooded Foothills	Land	0	$17.96
29	Verdant Catacombs	Land	0	$29.16
30	Scalding Tarn	Land	0	$36.86
31	Marsh Flats	Land	0	$32.04
32	Commander's Sphere	Artifact	3	$0.19
33	Arid Mesa	Land	0	$31.40
34	Generous Gift	Instant	3	$0.93
35	Smothering Tithe	Enchantment	4	$56.09
36	Ancient Tomb	Land	0	$56.94
37	Sacred Foundry	Land	0	$10.28
38	Deflecting Swat	Instant	3	$70.85
39	Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth	Land	0	$56.13
40	Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth	Land	0	$16.76
41	Clifftop Retreat	Land	0	$0.19
42	Esper Sentinel	Creature	1	$58.03
43	Temple of the False God	Land	0	$0.19
44	Chromatic Lantern	Artifact	3	$0.38
45	City of Brass	Land	0	$9.17
46	The One Ring	Artifact	4	$109.88
47	Faithless Looting	Sorcery	1	$0.36
48	Vandalblast	Sorcery	1	$1.74
49	Jeska's Will	Sorcery	3	$39.58
50	Teferi's Protection	Instant	3	$34.90
51	Cavern of Souls	Land	0	$47.72
52	Mana Confluence	Land	0	$34.75
53	Urza's Saga	Enchantment	0	$34.67
54	Battlefield Forge	Land	0	$0.20
55	Lotus Petal	Artifact	0	$35.11
56	Enlightened Tutor	Instant	1	$21.99
57	Wayfarer's Bauble	Artifact	1	$0.31
58	Roaming Throne	Creature	4	$47.06
59	Ashnod's Altar	Artifact	3	$8.15
60	Big Score	Instant	4	$0.41
61	War Room	Land	0	$0.79
62	Abrade	Instant	2	$0.17
63	Talisman of Conviction	Artifact	2	$0.35
64	Herald's Horn	Artifact	3	$2.88
65	Mana Vault	Artifact	1	$91.59
66	Chrome Mox	Artifact	0	$51.19
67	Lightning Bolt	Instant	1	$0.75
68	Ghostly Prison	Enchantment	3	$5.72
69	Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx	Land	0	$45.68
70	Reflecting Pool	Land	0	$5.50
71	Spectator Seating	Land	0	$5.71
72	Austere Command	Sorcery	6	$0.33
73	Flawless Maneuver	Instant	3	$9.24
74	Farewell	Sorcery	6	$4.44
75	Three Tree City	Land	0	$29.09
76	Gemstone Caverns	Land	0	$62.05
77	Boros Charm	Instant	2	$4.50
78	Command Beacon	Land	0	$7.99
79	Akroma's Will	Instant	4	$16.21
80	Idol of Oblivion	Artifact	2	$2.40
81	Prismatic Vista	Land	0	$28.10
82	Buried Ruin	Land	0	$0.38
83	Thran Dynamo	Artifact	4	$1.94
84	Storm-Kiln Artist	Creature	4	$1.74
85	Stroke of Midnight	Instant	3	$0.20
86	Impact Tremors	Enchantment	2	$2.52
87	Patchwork Banner	Artifact	3	$1.52
88	Mox Amber	Artifact	0	$86.45
89	Karn's Bastion	Land	0	$2.51
90	Professional Face-Breaker	Creature	3	$4.99
91	Ash Barrens	Land	0	$0.15
92	Thrill of Possibility	Instant	2	$0.17
93	Secluded Courtyard	Land	0	$0.31
94	Ornithopter of Paradise	Creature	2	$0.35
95	Sensei's Divining Top	Artifact	1	$36.48
96	Sword of the Animist	Artifact	2	$2.79
97	Mithril Coat	Artifact	3	$27.09
98	Gamble	Sorcery	1	$16.21
99	Mox Opal	Artifact	0	$229.58
100	Unclaimed Territory	Land	0	$0.30

Curve of these staples

Most played with Zirda, the Dawnwaker

The 25 most-played cards in 148 settled top-16 lists running Zirda, the Dawnwaker (any pairing) at 16+ player events since Mar 7, 2026, ranked by lists played — top-4 counts shown for context. Results from Topdeck.gg.

#	Card	Played in	Top 4
1	Ancient Tomb	100% · 148 of 148	37
2	Arid Mesa	100% · 148 of 148	37
3	Basalt Monolith	100% · 148 of 148	37
4	Enlightened Tutor	100% · 148 of 148	37
5	Esper Sentinel	100% · 148 of 148	37
6	Grim Monolith	100% · 148 of 148	37
7	Mana Vault	100% · 148 of 148	37
8	Silence	100% · 148 of 148	37
9	Arcane Signet	99% · 147 of 148	37
10	Goblin Engineer	99% · 147 of 148	36
11	Lotus Petal	99% · 147 of 148	37
12	Sacred Foundry	99% · 147 of 148	37
13	Sol Ring	99% · 147 of 148	37
14	Walking Ballista	99% · 147 of 148	37
15	Oswald Fiddlebender	99% · 146 of 148	36
16	Simian Spirit Guide	99% · 146 of 148	36
17	Staff of Domination	99% · 146 of 148	37
18	Chrome Mox	98% · 145 of 148	37
19	Moonsilver Key	98% · 145 of 148	36
20	Mox Diamond	98% · 145 of 148	37
21	Thran Spider	98% · 145 of 148	37
22	Command Tower	97% · 144 of 148	36
23	Jeska's Will	97% · 144 of 148	37
24	Mox Opal	97% · 144 of 148	36
25	Battlefield Forge	97% · 143 of 148	35

Combos with Zirda, the Dawnwaker

The 10 most popular of 60 combos (by EDHREC decklist count) using this commander that fit its color identity, from Commander Spellbook.

Basalt Monolith + Zirda, the Dawnwaker
Infinite colorless mana
How it works on Commander Spellbook
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Grim Monolith + Zirda, the Dawnwaker
Infinite colorless mana
How it works on Commander Spellbook
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Gleaming Splendor + Smothering Tithe + Zirda, the Dawnwaker
Infinite card draw for any number of players · Infinite draw triggers for any number of players · Near-infinite Treasure tokens · Near-infinite colored mana · Near-infinite artifact ETB · Near-infinite artifact LTB · Near-infinite artifact sacrifice triggers
How it works on Commander Spellbook
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Auriok Salvagers + Lotus Petal + Zirda, the Dawnwaker
Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite storm count
How it works on Commander Spellbook
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Palladium Myr + Umbral Mantle + Zirda, the Dawnwaker
Infinite colorless mana · Infinite untap of creatures you control · Infinite mana creatures you control can produce · Infinitely large creature until end of turn
How it works on Commander Spellbook
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Palladium Myr + Voltaic Construct + Zirda, the Dawnwaker
Infinite untap of artifact creatures you control
How it works on Commander Spellbook
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Palladium Myr + Sword of the Paruns + Zirda, the Dawnwaker
Infinite colorless mana · Infinite untap of creatures you control · Infinite mana creatures you control can produce
How it works on Commander Spellbook
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Dino DNA + Soulbright Flamekin + Zirda, the Dawnwaker
Infinite creature ETB · Infinite red mana · Infinite creature tokens
How it works on Commander Spellbook
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Hateflayer + Paradise Mantle + Zirda, the Dawnwaker
Infinite damage
How it works on Commander Spellbook
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Spawnsire of Ulamog + Zirda, the Dawnwaker
Infinite death triggers · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
How it works on Commander Spellbook
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Top finishes

The 8 most recent of 158 finishes placing top 16 at 16+ player events with this commander. Results from Topdeck.gg.

7th of 29 — IDubz Seasonal Series 4 Season 2 on Topdeck.ggOct 5, 2026 · 1–3–0 · by Corey
3rd of 54 — Mortal-Kraumbat on Topdeck.ggOct 4, 2026 · 3–1–3 · by Braevry Davis
8th of 30 — October cEDH Tournament! on Topdeck.ggOct 4, 2026 · 1–1–2 · by E-money
16th of 79 — FOIL Gaea's Cradle cEDH 6k on Topdeck.ggOct 4, 2026 · 2–4–0 · by Philip Marks
12th of 66 — Guardian Games CEDH Monthly PDX on Topdeck.ggOct 3, 2026 · 2–2–1 · by [Hooligan] Reed R
13th of 23 — October Event | Dragon Parlor Games 2026 cEDH Season on Topdeck.ggOct 3, 2026 · 1–3–0 · by Niles
15th of 68 — CEDH Monthly Dual Land Tournament - October on Topdeck.ggOct 3, 2026 · 2–3–0 · by Greg Molfetta
12th of 31 — Curio Cavern's cEDH League Sep WK4 on Topdeck.ggSep 29, 2026 · 1–2–0 · by Paul (Pocket)

All 158 finishes →

Card data and images courtesy of Scryfall; popularity ranking from EDHREC decklist data included in Scryfall bulk. Combo data courtesy of Commander Spellbook. Tournament results courtesy of Topdeck.gg. Deckwarden is unofficial Fan Content and is not endorsed by Wizards of the Coast.

Commanders